| Chris Webby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christian Webster |
| Born | October 13, 1988 Norwalk, Connecticut, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, songwriter |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Homegrown Music, eOne Music |
| Associated acts | Emilio Rojas, Jon Connor |
| Website | listentowebby.com |
Christian Webster (born October 13, 1988), better known by his stage nameChris Webby, is an American rapper from Norwalk, Connecticut. Chris Webby has released many mixtapes such as the DJ Drama-hosted Bars On Me (2012) and his EP There Goes the Neighborhood (2011), which peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200. He has worked with various artists such as Freeway, Mac Miller, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Prodigy, Bun B, and Kid Ink. In 2013 he and his label Homegrown Music signed a deal with eOne Music. He then released Homegrown, another EP, in November 2013 and is now scheduled to release his debut studio album Chemically Imbalanced in 2014.
Contents
[hide]Early life[edit]
Webby's mother was a middle school teacher at Nathan Hale Middle School, his father was a guitarist and he was their only child.[1] He started listening to rap at a young age admiring Eminem, he then started writing his own raps in sixth grade.[2] He attended Green Farms Academy, a private high school.[3]
Musical career[edit]
2008-2011: Mixtapes[edit]
Chris Webby went to Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. There he first got his buzz going as a rapper, and was known freestyler through the frat houses.[4] During his sophomore year he was arrested on March 27, 2009 in connection with a failed robbery attempt of a drug dealer on Hofstra University campus. He would then spend a week in jail and be banned from the school.[3] Following getting kicked out he looked at rapping as a career, and focused on releasing music.[5]
On April 30, 2009, Chris Webby released his debut mixtape The White Noise LP.[6] The mixtape featured his first hit single "La La La," and he performed at local Connecticut venues, including Toad's Place and the Heirloom Arts Theatre.[3] Then on September 18, 2009 he released his second mixtape Teenage Mutant Ninja Rapper. The two mixtapes included tracks he had recorded since 2008.[7][8]
On May 10, 2010 he released his third mixtape Optimus Rhyme, intended to be a prelude to his upcoming project The Underclassmen. The project was billed as a "mini-mixtape" and was primarily a compilation of his unreleased tracks.[9][10] He teamed up with DJBooth to release his fourth mixtape The Underclassmen on July 14, 2010, which featured a guest appearance by Mac Miller and others.[11] The mixtape contains disses towards fellow rapper Sammy Adams.[12]
On December 21, 2010, Webby released his third mixtape of the year Best in the Burbs. The mixtape featured collaborations with Statik Selektah, Ski Beatz, and Big K.R.I.T. and has been downloaded over 100,000 times on DatPiff.[13] It had even shut down DatPiff's servers due to the high amount of downloads upon its release, the first mixtape to do so.[14]
2011-2012: Webster's Laboratory and There Goes the Neighborhood[edit]
On June 3, 2011, Webby released his sixth mixtape Webster's Laboratory.[15] The mixtape was hosted by DJ Ill Will and DJ Rockstar, which featured guest appearances from rappers Freeway, Gorilla Zoe, Kinetics (of Kinetics & One Love) andApathy.[16][17] This mixtape also resulted in DatPiff's server crashing.[2] The mixtape was met with positive reviews, receiving a three out of five or "L" from XXL. Adam Fleischer of XXL said, "Webster's Laboratory ends up being further proof that not only can Chris Webby rap, but his skills are improving with each release. Having said that, his content gets somewhat tired, andWebster's Laboratory is indicative of an artist still trying to find himself and his own sound."[18]
On December 1, 2011, Webby released his first retail project an EP titled There Goes the Neighborhood. The EP would be released by his record label Homegrown Music, and feature a guest appearances by Slaine.[19] Upon its release the EP shot to the top of the iTunes hip/hop sales chart.[2] The EP would end up debuting at number 101 on the Billboard 200, number 13 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and topping the Heatseekers Albums chart.[20] On February 10, 2012, he began a 40-date North American tour in support of the EP.[21]
2012-present: Bars On Me, signing to eOne Music, Homegrown and debut album[edit]
On September 30, 2012, Webby released his seventh mixtape, Bars On Me hosted by famed mixtape DJ, DJ Drama.[22] The mixtape included guest appearances from Bun B, D. Lector, Emilio Rojas, Jon Connor, Kid Ink, Method Man, Nikkiya andProdigy, with notable production credits coming from Cardo, Sap, Don Cannon, Omen, Ski Beatz, and WillPower among others.[23] Its release was covered by MTV, who interviewed him as he described the title saying, "There's definitely a few meanings that you could use with it, but the main one being lyrical bars. That's what I'm known for, that's what I continue to do, and I think a lot of artists kinda need to step their bars up a little bit."[24] It featured all original material and received over 100,000 downloads on DatPiff in less than a week.[25][26]
During 2013, Webby hinted at signing with a record label, and that he was in talks with a few. However he said, "I wouldn’t want to sign under another rapper just because I want to be THE rapper. With me signing, it’s not going to be me changing and selling out. It is going to be me getting an opportunity to really formulate my own thing. Homegrown Music will be my G-Unit,Shady Records, GOOD Music."[27] After remaining independent for his entire career, in mid-2013 he signed a record deal with independent powerhouse eOne Music.[28] Following that he revealed that he was working on an EP and his debut studio album, which he said will "highlight his transformation from a rapper to an artist."[27][29] On August 28, 2013, Webby released the first single, "Down Right" from his first project after signing with eOne Music.[30] The project was announced to be an EP titled,Homegrown to be released on October 29, 2013.[31]
Also in August 2013, Webby indicated working with Scott Storch and SupaDupes on his debut album.[32] At the red carpet for the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards Chris Webby stated his debut album would be released in February 2014.[33] On October 24, 2013, Webby revealed that the EP's release had been pushed back to November 12, 2013 due to sample clearance issues.[34]Following its release, Homegrown would then peak at number 75 on the Billboard 200.[35] In a November 2013 interview withHipHopDX, Webby also confirmed Harry Fraud as a producer on his debut album.[36] He later revealed the album would be titled Chemically Imbalanced.[37] Webby is being considered for the 2014 XXL freshman class.[38]
Personal life[edit]
Chris Webby is known for his recreational drug use. He told AllHipHop in 2013, that he uses Adderall in the studio, which he is prescribed. He explained that he was diagnosed with ADD at a young age and has been on attention medication throughout his life. He says to this day that he has very bad attention deficit disorder.[29]
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | |||||||||||
| Chemically Imbalanced[37] |
| TBR | TBR | TBR | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Extended Plays[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [20] | US R&B [20] | US Rap [20] | |||||||||||
| There Goes the Neighborhood |
| 101 | 13 | 8 | |||||||||
| Homegrown |
| 75 | 16 | 8 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Mixtapes[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The White Noise LP |
|
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Rapper |
|
| Optimus Rhyme |
|
| The Underclassmen |
|
| Best in the Burbs |
|
| Webster's Laboratory |
|
| Bars On Me |
|
Singles[edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | |||
| "And the Beat Goes On"[39] | 2013 | — | — | — | N/A |
| "Down Right" | — | — | — | The Homegrown EP | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
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